Air Dry Clay : Leaves

 

Air Dry Clay : Leaves from real leafs

Materials needed:

• Air Dry Clay
• Leaves – we used the leaves from a hydrangea plant. Use hydrangea leaves or preferably one similar as a maple leaf does not fold up as nicely to form a dish
  • Note: If you would like to make a leaf bowl instead, a maple leaf would work perfectly for this
• Acrylic paint – we used rose gold, gold and bronze
• Sealer – mod podge gloss
• Knife

1. First gather your leaves. We used  maple  leaves . Please  (feel free to try different leaf shapes as it is easy to roll out and start over if you do not like the way it looks).

2. Cut out a piece of your air dry clay. Roll it out and then stamp your leaf onto it. Press firmly and make sure to press on all parts of the leaf to get a complete imprint.

3. Take off your leaf and cut around the outline of the leaf with a knife .

Gently start to roll up sections of your clay. There is no specific pattern required, just leave a bit of space in between the rolls. Leave the tip of the leaf intact. If any portions of the clay are not smooth, dip a sponge in a bit of water and use it to smooth out portions of the clay.

Note: If you’d like to make a leaf bowl instead, place your leaf inside a small bowl to shape the clay into a bowl shape

4. Allow the clay to air dry and harden. Preferably on a cookie drying rack so that the bottom gets exposed to air as well. After 24 hours, check if the top of the clay is hardened. If it is, flip it over to allow the bottom to air dry. If not, let it dry for another 24 hours and then flip it the next day if needed. Paint and seal with Midge podge.